The Carolina Theatre is a restored 1926 movie palace on Morgan Street downtown, now operating as the city's main independent cinema and a busy venue for concerts and comedy. The main hall preserves its original ornate plasterwork and ceiling fresco; two smaller screens behind it show first-run independent and foreign films.
The theatre is also the home of two of Durham's most important annual festivals: the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in April and the North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in August. Check the calendar before any visit.